THREE of Hartlepool United's injured regulars will today get the chance to prove their fitness ahead of Saturday's trip to Bradford, writes Nick Loughlin.

Chris Westwood (hamstring), Mark Tinkler (calf) and Hugh Robertson (foot) have all been out of action as Pool have slumped to four successive defeats.

But the trio - and former Newcastle defender Steve Howey, who is looking to impress Neale Cooper and earn a deal at Victoria Park - will play in a full-scale practice match at the club's Durham training ground today.

"We are hoping that all three will play,'' said Cooper.

"If we can get the big guns back, with ten games to go, let's have a go for it.''

Robertson played in last week's reserve game with Sheffield Wednesday.

However, Cooper felt he would benefit from a hard training session on Saturday instead of including him for the Tranmere game.

"He has been troubled by his foot, but says it hasn't felt as good as this for a while,'' added Cooper. "He was feeling it every day and you could tell because he wasn't striking the ball like we know he can.

"He has suffered with his fitness as well and he's been having extra

sessions and you can see the difference.''

Read more about Hartlepool here.